Paul Hogan

You know you're in safe stand-up comedy hands when the man towering in front of you has had his podcast downloaded 280,000,000 times.

Yes - you didn't have a stroke - TWO HUNDRED AND EIGHTY MILLION TIMES. That's almost as many times Fred Botica has played Land Down Under.

Of course Stephen Merchant can't lay claim to those Guinness World Record figures all by himself. Some credit must go to his Extras and The Office writing and directing partner Ricky Gervais.

Last night Merchant didn't shy away from Gervais, or his ample coat tails. He openly admitted to undertaking an international stand-up tour so he didn’t have to once again share profits with "You know who".

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An Emmy, a couple of Golden Globes plus a swag of BAFTAS make Merchant a comedy giant in more than one sense. All six feet seven inches of Merchant paced around the stage like Aaron Sandilands circling the field umpire at a centrebounce.

Choosing to kick off his Aussie tour in Perth, Merchant hit the stage all guns blazing.

His local material went down an absolute treat with the parochial Perth crowd.

Squeals of delight and howls of laughter rocketed through the Astor as he asked why on Earth people would choose to stay in a city threatened by great white sharks, adding that the word is out amongst the shark community that packed Perth beaches are an "all you can eat buffet".

Seamlessly dropping in and out of multiple characters, dancing and miming, Merchant used his lanky frame to accentuate the inconveniences of being taller than most of the population; from attractive women using him as a New Year's Eve meeting points to having half of his head cropped out of press photos featuring "You know who".

Merchant was at his sublime best when interacting with the crowd. He effortlessly coaxed stories out of unsuspecting audience members, berating them without confrontation.

He mined more successfully than Gina, discovering that one front row newlywed proposed to his then girlfriend on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Europe's Disneyland. Merchant was quick to point out that Euro Disney wasn't even "the expensive one".

Contrary to most other stand-up shows the front row seemed eager to be called on and ridiculed. All the while Merchant, however cutting, continued to maintain his standing as the stingiest and most nerdy person in the room.

Given that Merchant barely touched on growing up in Bristol, his former career with the BBC World Service and recent Hollywood successes, one can imagine that he has plenty of stand-up left in him.

With a list of credits now including An Idiot Abroad and Life's Too Short, Stephen Merchant (and "You know who") will be remembered as comedy pioneers, long after ancient televisions and radios are only items spotted on the ebay antiques page.

Paul Hogan can be heard every weekday morning, 6am to 9am, on 92.9's Lisa, Paul and Baz.